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Automatic transmission? You should be smart enough to know that the car makers build cars specifically for each region. If Europeans wanted automatic transmission, they would build it. Automatic transmissions are very unpopular in Europe. They don't want it, so don't make many cars with automatic transmissions.

Yeah, but every European who moves to the US eventually "caves in" and gets an automatic transmission, even in a car where a manual is offered.

Not only that. Automatic transmissions in Europe are garbage. I rented an Opel Corsa automatic and the pause after the shift points is ridiculous. It almost feels like it's stalling. Ditto for the Smart Car. It's not a seamless shift. Then, check out the rental rates for these cars. There is a premium of at least 100 Euros a week to rent the equivalent Corsa in automatic form than in manual form. I doubt that it costs more than 500 to 700 Euros to manufacture it with an automatic gearbox. But over renting out this fleet car for a year, just think how badly they've soaked the Americans.

I learned on an automatic at 15.5. By 18, I was also driving a stick in other cars my family owned. In stop and go freeway traffic, or on a 45 degree incline in San Francisco, you can have your manual transmissions. Europeans say that they feel like they can't "control the car." WTF? It'll make it easier for them to smoke or yack on their cell phones.

Relatives from overseas have favorably commented on how inexpensive, comfortable and quiet most medium- to full-size cars in U.S. rental fleets are.

Yeah, but every European who moves to the US eventually "caves in" and gets an automatic transmission, even in a car where a manual is offered.

Not only that. Automatic transmissions in Europe are garbage. I rented an Opel Corsa automatic and the pause after the shift points is ridiculous. It almost feels like it's stalling. Ditto for the Smart Car. It's not a seamless shift. Then, check out the rental rates for these cars. There is a premium of at least 100 Euros a week to rent the equivalent Corsa in automatic form than in manual form. I doubt that it costs more than 500 to 700 Euro to manufacture it with an automatic gearbox. But over renting out this fleet car for a year, just think how badly they've soaked the Americans.

I learned on an automatic at 15.5. By 18, I was also driving a stick in other cars my family owned. In stop and go freeway traffic, or on a 45 degree incline in San Francisco, you can have your manual transmissions. Europeans say that they feel like they can't "control the car." WTF? It'll make it easier for them to smoke or yack on their cell phones.

Relatives from overseas have favorably commented on how inexpensive, comfortable and quiet most medium- to full-size cars in U.S. rental fleets are.

I didn't "cave in". It's just that I share a car with my American wife who has never driven a manual in her life, so we own an automatic. If I had my way, I'd swap it for a manual tomorrow

Go troll on some other country. Although you may feel that american cities are boring, the U.S. has a varied landscape. There are forests, grasslands,deserts, swamps, etc. Just hop out of your door and see what kind of scenery is out there.

Go troll on some other country. Although you may feel that american cities are boring, the U.S. has a varied landscape. There are forests, grasslands,deserts, swamps, etc. Just hop out of your door and see what kind of scenery is out there.

Its just jealousy, take it as a compliment that these people give us all this attention. We have Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier National Park, Niagara Falls..... there is no way you can get bored in this country

If it wasn't for NYC and maybe Chicago, there'd be no reason for anyone to visit USA.

If NYC and Chicago didn't exist, I'd still find loads of reasons to visit the US. Vive le difference but I love the vast vistas and preserved wilderness areas of the US. Their National & State Park system is amazing, making a lot of gorgeous scenery and outdoor recreational opportunities accessible for many to enjoy. Sitting on the edge of a canyon, after an exhilarating hike through gorgeous trails, looking out over vast areas of beautiful land, the sound of distant birds and nothing else ... not boring, not by a long shot.

Sights and parks like Yosemite, Sequoia, Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Canyonlands, Monument Valley, Lake Powell, Arches, Dead Horse Point, the Rocky Mountains, the Cascades, the Everglades, the Smoky Mountains, the fall colours in the Northeast, the gorgeous coastline of California, Oregon and Washington, ... I will never find that boring. And there's so much more still for me to see.

Automatic transmission? You should be smart enough to know that the car makers build cars specifically for each region. If Europeans wanted automatic transmission, they would build it. Automatic transmissions are very unpopular in Europe. They don't want it, so don't make many cars with automatic transmissions.

Yes...perhaps they have stricter building requirements. But that doesn't change the fact that a 2,500 (about 230 m^2) square foot wood frame, vinyl sided, tar-roofed house with central A/C, a jacuzzi tub in the master bathroom, and as many bathrooms and bedrooms with a 2-car garage attached provides with back and front yards provides much more amenities and comfort than a 1,000 square foot terrace house...even if it is like the one you have linked to (but together, of course).

Automatic transmissions, cruise control, and a large engine make driving less fatiguing, particularly at high speeds or in traffic..

It's just like having a public restroom in virtually every public building.

You simply can't argue that the average European enjoys as much "stuff" (material things) as the average American. And don't even get me started with boats, motorhomes, and other motorized "toys"...

Oh really I thought a lot of countries fought the Nazi's during World War 2 and long before the Americans came in to the war in December 1941.

Do you honestly think that the NATO Nations would have beat "Germany" without the "Aid" of the United States of America????

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